Automatic glass cutting machine



July 5, 1943- K. E. SOMMERFELD 2,323,686

AUTOMATIC GLASS CUTTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1940July 6, 1943- K. E. soMMERFELD UIQMA'II'IC GLASS CUTTING MACHINE FiledAug. 17, 1940 5 shams-Smml 2 INVENTOR Karl E. Sommerfeld i; A i .l l

July 6, 1943 K. E. soMMERFELD AUTOMATIQ GLASS CUTTING MACHINE Filed Aug.17, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 fzfl E 50mm effeld nJuly 6, 1943- K. E.soMMERFx-:LD 2,323,686

AUTOMATIC GLASS CUTTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17; 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 lINVOENTOR Patented `luly 6, 1943 2,323,686 AUTOMATIC Grass cUrriNenaci-mss Karl E. Sommerfeld, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to SommerfeldMachine Company, Braddock, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication August 17, 1940, Serial No. 353,095

17 Claims.

This invention is for an automatic glass scoring or cutting machine forvuse in the manufacture of sheet glass, and is for a mechanism operatedby the movement of the glass sheet itself for scoring the glass atpredetermined regular intervals to thereby enable the glass to be brokeninto sheets of uniform size.

The invention is especially designed for application to the top ofFourcault and similar ccntinuous sheet glass machines where the glass asit emerges from the forming apparatus, is traveling vertically upward.At the present time it is the practice to provide at the top of theFourcault machine a guide in which there is a verticaliy movable cage.rlhis cage is provided with a horizontal bar. As the glass emerges fromthe top of the machine it engages the cage causing it to ride upwardlywith the glass. When the predetermined length of glass has beenprojected from the top of the machine, the operator using the horizontalbar as a guide, runs a glass cutter across the sheet, Since the bar ismoving upwardly at the same speed as the glass sheet, the mark which isscored on the glass is approximately square, but considerable variationresults between the sheets because the operator does not always hold thecutter bar in the same position, and the edges of the sheets themselvesmay not he square due to the change in the angle at which the operatorholds the cutter as he moves it across the guide bar. It is thereforethe practice to vcut the sheets only approximately to length and tothereafter cut them accurately to length on a cutting table. This ofcourse requires that both edges of the glass be trimmed a second timeand results in increased labor and in a waste of glass, and this wasteis increased due to the fact that each handling results in additionalbreakage,

Attempts have heretofore been made to replace the hand operation withautomatic cutting mechanism, but such mechanisms as have heretofore beendesigned for the purpose have not been satisfactory due to the fact thatthe movement of the parts was not correlated in time with the movementof the glass sheets and also due to the fact that the automatic scoringdevices as heretofore developed do not adjust themselves toirregularities which exist in the surface of flat' glass.

According to the present invention there is provided an automaticcutting machine controlled by the giass sheet itself which cuts thesheets into uniform lengths, the machine being adjustable to vary thelength of the sheets being cut and wherein all of the movements of themachine are properly correlated to the movement of the traveling sheetof glass. The invention clearly provides an improved form of cuttermechanism which adjusts itself to variations in thickness of the glassand to irregularities inthe surface of the glass so that the sheets areuniformly scored notwithstanding the presence of the usualirregularities,

My invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate the present preferred embodiment of myinvention and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of av completemechanism embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line II-II ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 1 on a somewhat larger scale butshowing the cage in an elevated position, part of the machine beingbroken away; f

Figure 4 is a detail View of the'bead and automatic latch for releasingthe bead which is provided for operating the mechanism, the View beingaside elevation;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine on a largerscale than Figures 1 and 3.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of another portion of the machine, thisView being on the same scale as Figure 5 hut showing a portion of theopposite side of the frame of the machine;

Figure 7 is a detail view of an air valve through which the lowering ofthe cage is controlled;

Figure 8 is a front elevation of the cutter carriage itself, the viewbeing on a scale very much larger than Figures l and 3;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal vertical section through the mechanism shownin Figure 8, the view being substantially in the plane of line IX-lX ofFigure 8.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5 of the drawing particularly, 2designates side frame members adapted to be mounted at the top of aFourcault or similar continuous sheet glass-producing unit. Supported inthe space between the two side frame members 2 are guide rollers 3through which the upwardly traveling sheet of glass, designated G inFigure 2, passes as it emerges from the glass-forming unit. Secured toeach of the members 2 is a vertically extending side frame member orguide rail 11, The two side frame members l are connected at their upperends by a horizontal crossbar 5. This frame provides a guideway for avertically movable cage designated generally as 6. This cage has a topcrossbar l, an intermediate crcssbar 8, and a lower crossbar S which areall connected together by side frame members It at each side of the cageand by diagonal cross braces I I. The cage is also provided with avertically extending central post I 2 preferably formed from a length ofchannel iron. It projects beyond the top ci the upper rail 'l of thecage and beyond the top rail 5 of the frame, and as shown in Figure 2 itis located in a plano to one side of the plane of the cage and of theframe. The arrangement is such that the cage G with its central post i 2may be raised and lowered inside the stationary supporting framecomprising the side members i and the crossbar 5, the crossbar of thestationary frame determining the uppermost limit of movement of thecage.

Adjustably mounted on the upper portion of the post I2 is an adjustableclamping shoe i3 best shown in Figures 3 and 4, which shoe has aforwardly extending projection i3d 0n which is pivotally supported bymeans of a pivot at I4 a pad I5, the pad I5 preferably having a woodenplate I 6 on the undersurface thereof. The pad I5 is provided rearwardlyof the pivot Ill with a l lug or dog I 'I. Pivotally supported at I onthe clamping shoe I3 is a bell crank I9 having a latching lug forcooperation with the lug or dog I'I on the pad i5. The other arm of thebell crank is connected to the armature ZI of an electric solenoid 22.The arrangement is such that when the dog Il is engaging the latchinglug 20, the pad I5 is restrained from the movement about the pivot I4,but when the solenoid 22 is energized to depress the armature 2|, thelatching lug 20 is moved to the left as viewed in Figure 4 to clear thedog I'I, whereupon the pad I5 may tilt upwardly to the position shown indotted lines.

The pad I5 projects across the path of travel of the upwardly movingsheet of glass G so that when the pad is latched against movement, theupper edge of the glass sheet will strike the surface I 6 of the pad,and since the pad cannot pivot, the upward movement of the glass will betransmitted through the pad to the supporting post I2 and to the cagethus causing the cage to travel upwardly as the glass travels upwardly.When the cage has reached a predetermined height and the glass has beencut in the manner hereinafter described, the solenoid 22 is energized totrip the pad allowing it to swing inwardly clear of the glass, whereuponthe cage can travel down with the pad riding past the surface of thesheet of glass G. It is thus possible for the cage to be moving downwhile the glass sheet is still moving upwardly, but this is possibleonly after the solenoid 22 has been operated to release the latch. Itmay be pointed out that in the operation of the machine,- after the cagehas been lifted a predetermined distance, the glass is scored as will behereinafter more fully described. After the scoring operation has beencompleted, the cage is dropped down to repeat its cycle of operationwhile the upper edge of the sheet of glass is pulled to the right asviewed in Figure 4 causing it to snap oif along the line of the score orcut. It is for this reason that it is desirable to have the cage movingdown at certain times while the sheet of glass is continuing to moveupwardly.

Attached to each side of the cage is a cable 23. Each of the cables 23passes over a guide sheave 24 and another guide sheave 25 and has itsother end wound about and secured to a takeup drum 25. Each take-up drumalso has a second cable 2'! wound thereon from which is suspended acounterweight 28. The weights 28 counterbalance the weight of the cageso that the upward movement of the cage imposes a very slight load onthe upwardly moving sheet of glass. The two drums 2E are connected by acommon shaft 29. Both drums must, therefore, wind and unwind at the samerate for both sides of the cage will, therefore, move at the same rateand the cage will not bind in the guideways by reason of one end risingor lowering faster than the other. It is important that the cage shallbe kept horizontal not only to prevent binding in the guideways, but itis also necessary order that the glass will be cut oi square.

The glass cutting or scoring device itself ccmprises a carriagedesignated generally as 3S (see Figures 8 and 9) movable along thehorizontal bar 9 on the cage. This carriage is provided withlongitudinally spaced vertical rollers 3l which bear against theopposite faces of the bar to provide a rolling Contact between thecarriage and the bar. The carriage is also provided with longtudinallyspaced upper rollers 32 that ride on the top edge of the bar 9 and withsimilar rollers 33 that ride on the bottom of the bar 9. The carriagethus has a rolling Contact with the bar along which it moves, and theseveral rollers hold the carriage steady. At one side of the carriage isa bracket Se through which passes an externally threaded sleeve 35, thissleeve being of sufficient length to extend entirely across the top ofthe carriage. Confined between the two upwardly extending plates formingthe bracket 3d is a drum 36 having a grooved periphery and having aninternally threaded hub through which the sleeve is screwed. Thearrangement is such that when the drum 35 is rotated in one direction,the threaded sleeve 35 is moved toward the left as viewed in Figure 9,and when it is turned in the opposite direction, the threaded sleeve ismoved toward the right. The web of one face of the drum 3&3 has a lug 3lformed thereon, and the opposite face of the web has a similar lug 38.At one end of the sleeve there is a bracket 39 that adjustably supportsa rod 4G, the position of the rod i3 being determined by the opposednuts 4l. IThis rod is of suicient length to project through one of theplates 34 and engage the lug 38 on the drum. At the opposite end of thesleeve 35 is a similar bracket 42 which adjustably supports a rod d3,the position of which is determined by nuts fifi. The inner end of thisrod S3 passes through one of the plates 34 and is adapted to engage thelug 3l opposite the lug 33. The rods lil and G3 cooperating with thelugs 38 and 3l respectively, provide adjustable stops for limiting therotative movement of the drum 35. With the parts in the position shownin Figure 9, for example, the drum 36 cannot turn in a counterclockwisedirection because of the engagement of the rod 40 with the lug 38. Thedrum, however, may turn in a clockwise direction because the lug 38moves away from the stop rod d0. As the drum continues to rotate in aclockwise direction, the threaded sleeve 35 is propelled toward the leftas viewed in Figure 9, and this carries the inner end of the rod out ofthe path of travel of the lug 33. It simultaneously advances the end ofthe rod 43 into the path of travel of the lug 31 on the opposite face ofthe drum. Adjustable rods 4! and 43, therefore, provide stops to limitthe free turning movement of the drum and thus also limit the back andforth travel of the sleeve 35. The sleeve has a squarecr non-circularopening extending throughout its length. A square or non-circular rod isslidably received in the sleeve, this rod being permitted to reciprocatein the sleeve but not turn. At its inner end, which is the left-hand endas viewed in Figure 9, it carries a glass cutter or scoring means suchas the cutter wheel 43. The other end of the rod which projects beyondthe right-hand end of the threaded sleeve is provided with a roller 41.Carried o-n the top of the bracket comprising the two plates 34 is amember 48 having a rearwardly extending arm GS to which is pivotallysecured at a lever 5l. This lever bears against the roller 41, and atension spring 52 having one end secured to the free end of the lever 5|and one end anchored to the carriage serves to resiliently urge thelever 5i toward the left as viewed in Figure 9. This pressure istransmitted through the roller B1 to the glass cutter. The square rod 45is provided adjacent .the outer or right-hand end as viewed in Figure 9,with a stop or abutment 53 adapted to contact with the bracket i2 tolimit the endwise travel of the glass cutter under the inuence of thespring-operated lever 5 l.

In Figure 9 the cutter is shown in contact with the sheet of glassI andwith the stop member 53 spaced from the bracket 42. After the cutter hasbeen moved into contact with the sheet of glass, and the cuttingoperation has been completed, the drum 35 is rotated in an anticlockwisedirection and the movement of the sleeve 35 toward the right withdrawsthe cutter from engagement with the glass. sleeve 35 is preferablyadjusted to a point where, when the cutter is .engaging the sheet ofglass, there will be a separation between the stop 53 and the bracketi12 so that the spring can exert its full pressure against the cutterand so that the cutter can follow irregularities in the surface of theglass without interference from the stop 53 coming infto contact withthe bracket 32. In other words, stop rods 48 and 43 are adjusted topermit the drum 36 to turn far enough to allow the sleeve 35 to travel adistance slightly greater than that required to enable the cutter tobarely contact the sheet of glass.

It is contemplated in the operation of the machine that when the glassis to be scored, the cut- I;

ter Will be operated rst to bring the scoring device into contact withthe surface of the sheet at one edge of the sheet. Then the carriagewill be moved along the bar 3 to score the full width of the glass.

the cutter out of contact with the glass. The advancing and retractingof the cutter, as well as the movement of the carriage along the bar 3is accomplished automatically through a cable which engages the groovedperiphery of the drum 38. This cable, designated 55, makes several turnsaround the periphery of the drum 35. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, thecable after passing from the drum, extends to one side of the carriagearound a sheave 58 to a drum 51 which is operated by a reversible motor58. The other reach of the cable passes around a sheave 59 at theleft-*hand end of the frame as viewed in Figure l to take-up drum 51,the arrangement being such that as the cable is paid oi the drum 51 inone direction, it is wound up on the drum at the same speed from theopposite direction. With the parts in the position shown in Figure 9,the carriage is at the right-hand side of the The travel of the Thecutter will then be retracted and the carriage returned to its initialposition with iii) frame, as shown in Figure 1. The motor 58 is thenoperated to drive the drum 51. This causes the drum 38 on the carriageto be rotated in a clockwise direction to advance the cutter in positionto engage the glass, but after the drum 36 is rotated to the limitedextent necessary, its further rotation is stopped by the engagement ofthe lug 31 with the stop rod 43. The continued operation of the drum 51winding up on one reach of the cable and paying out on the other causesthe carriage to be pulled by means of the cable along the bar 9. Whenthe carriage has completed its travel across the width of the sheet ofglass, the motor 58 is reversed reversing the tension on the cable 55.This is effective rst for rotating the drum 36 on the carriage a limitedextent in a counterclockwise direction to withdraw the cutter fromengagement with the glass and then to pull the cutter back along the bar9. The motor 58 as well as the drum 51 which it operates are of coursemounted on the cage so that the cutting operation takes place as thecage is moving up with the sheet of glass.

The operation of the cutter is in the first instance controlled by thevertical movement of the cage. Adjacent one of the side frame members23, i. e., the right-hand frame member as viewed in Figure 1, there is avertically adjustable. contacting switch 6! having a contact arm 6l, theswitch being of the Well-known type. The cage is provided adjacent itsright-hand edge with a cooperating shoe 32. The switch 68 is connectedinto the circuit for the motor 58 so that when the cage lifits up to apoint where the shoe 62 rocks the lever El a predetermined distance, acircuit will be closed to operate the motor 53 in the manner describedto initiate the operation of the cutter. On the cross member 8 of theframe at the left-hand limit of travel of the carriage 3G is a similarswitch 63 having a contact arm 64. The carriage is provided with a shoe55 that .engages the lever B4; The switch 63 is connected with the motor58 to drive it in the reverse direction through a standard reversingcircuit forming no part of the present invention. The arrangement issuch that as the carriage reaches the left-hand limit of its travel, theswitch arm Sli is operated to reverse the motor 58 and hence thedirection in which the cable'55 is operated. At the extreme right-handend of the crossbar 8 on the cage is another switch (i6 with a `switcharm 61 which is 4engaged by the shoe 65 to stop the motor when thecarriage has returned to its starting position and until the switch hasagain been operated. The mechanism described thus causes the glass to bescored every time the cage is moved upwardly a predetermined distance,and as the cage is operated by the upwardly traveling sheet of glass, itwill be seen that the glass is scored at regular distances cutting thesheets into predetermined lengths. Since the cutter is resiliently urgedagainst the Y gia-ss, the pressure of the cutter against the glass v 1ssubstantially uniform and is adjusted to an optimum degree, and thecutter is free to follow the irregularities in the surface of the glass.Also, since the carriage is guided along the bar 9 on which it has aclose working t, the cutting of the glass is square and free ofundulations up or down. .After the scoring has been completed, the cageShould be dropped down to its lowerrnost position to repeat the cycle.The attendant standing on the platform adjacent the machine after eachscoring operation and before the next scoring operation grasps the upperedge of` `the sheet and pulls it away from the frame, i. e., toward theright in Figure 2 causing the sheet to snap along the line where it hasbeen scored. In order to enable the cage to move back to its lowermostposition before the scored sheet has been broken away, solenoid 22 isenergized to release the latch 2) as described in connection with Figurei and permit the pad i5 to swing upwardly a distance suiiicient to clearthe sheet on the downward travel of the cage. This operation of thesolenoid 22 is controlled by means of a third switch 58 located on thehorizontal frame member 8 of the cage, this switch having a dependingarm 69 which is engaged by a Contact shoe 18 on the top of the cuttercarriage 3G. The switch 68 is of a character which does not close anycircuit when the lever 69 is swung to the left as viewed in Figures land 3, but when it is swung to the right as viewed in these gures, itcloses a circuit to energize the solenoid and trip the latch. Thus thetripping of the latch occurs after the cutting carriage has scored theglass and after the carriage has started to move back to its initialposition. The scoring of the glass is co l-- pleted, therefore, beforethe latch is released, and thus it is assured that the cage willcontinue to move upwardly until after the glass has been completelyscored across its entire width.

For pushing the cage back to its lowermost position upon release of thepad I5 from engagement with the upper edge of the sheet, there isprovided at the center of the stationary frame above the cage an aircylinder 'Il that operates a piston rod l2 (see Figures 1 and 3). Thelower end of the piston rod has an abutment T3 (see I- Figure 2) adaptedto bear against the projecting end of a pin l which passes through twolevers of a lazy tong system of levers designated generally as 15. Theupper end of this lazy tong is secured to a side of the cylinder 1I at'15, while the lower end is contacted at l1 to a post secured to themiddle vertical post l2 on the cage. When the cage is in an elevatedposition as shown in Figure 3, and the piston rod I2 is forced down byenergizing the cylinder 1|, pressure is applied to pin 'M of the lazytong causing it to extend itself and thus eXert a downward pressure onthe cage. The advantage of using a lazy tong resides in the fact thatbecause of the cage being counterbalanced, very little power is requiredto move it either upwardly or downwardly, and it.is therefore possibleto move the cage down with very little power by means of a cylinder ofvery short stroke. Because the abutment 'I3 at the end of the piston rod'l2 abuts against the pin 14 of the lazy tong but does not provide anypositive connection between the lazy tong and the piston, the piston canbe retracted as soon as the cage has been lowered to its lowermost limitof travel without simultaneously lifting the cage. The admission offluid pressure, preferably air, to the cylinder 'Il is controlledthrough two pipes 'IB through which iluid is admitted to and dischargedfrom the upper end of the cylinder and pipe I9 communicating with thelower end of the cylinder. These pipes in turn communicate with astandard type of control valve 80 of a type known to those familiar withfluid pressure circuits and forming no part per se of the presentinvention but which is of a nature such that when fluid pressure isflowing through the pipe 18, the pipe 79 is venting to atmosphere andvice versa. The valve SG is of itself of a fluid pressure actuated typebeing controlled by a valve 8| having a valve stem 82 (see Figure 6).

Valve stem 82 is in turn actuated by a lever 83 pivoted to the left-handside of the machine frame at 84. The other end of the lever 83 isattached to the armature 95 of a solenoid 86. The solenoid S6 is alsogoverned by the switch 68. The arrangement is such that when the switch63 is operated to release the pad I5, the valve stem 82 of the valve 8|will be depressed to actuate the control valve Si) to admit fiuidpressure to the pipe IS and open the line 19 and thereby cause thepiston l2 to be forced downwardly to lower the frame, but when thisoperation has been completed and the solenoid 86 deenergized and thevalve 8| restored to normal position, the flow of uid into the cylinder1| will be reversed and the piston rod 'l2 moved to its upper position.

As clearly shown in Figure 5, the contact shoe 62 that initiates theoperation of the cutter is adjustable on the frame of the cage, beingprovided with set screws as shown to secure it at a predeterminedelevation. The lower down on the cage the shoe is set, the greater willbe the height through which the cage will move before the scoringoperation is initiated, and hence the scoring can be adjusted inreference to the elevation of the platform on which the workmen standand break of the scored sheets. The operation of the solenoid 22 and ofthe fluid pressure cylinder may also be varied by moving the switch 68along the bar 8 either to the right or to the left. The switches 63 and56 are also adjustable along the bar 8 so that the machine can bereadily adjusted to different widths of glass.

In the operation of the machine after all of the parts have beenadjusted for the production program, the top edge of the glass emergingfrom the glass-forming machine engaging against the underside of the padl5 lifts the cage vertically. When the cage is moved a predetermineddistance, the switch 6i) energizes the motor to initiate the cuttingoperation, and the cutter is first thrust inwardly and the carriage thentravels across the sheet of glass. At the completion of the cuttingstroke, the switch S3 is energized to reverse the motor, whereupon thecutter is quick.- ly withdrawn from the surface of the glass and thenonly after the cutter has been retracted will the carriage start back toits initial position. As it travels back to its initial position, theswitch 68 is operated to release the pad I5 to dsengage the cage fromthe upper edge of the sheet of glass, and the cylinder 'H is energizedto push the cage back to its lowermost position. After the carriage hasmoved past the switch 68, the

circuit to the latch-controlling solenoid 22 is again opened and in themeantime the scored sheet of glass has been broken away. This allows thepad I5 to drop back to its horizontal position and automatically latchitself to thereby be engaged against by the oncoming edge of the glasssheet.

While I have illustrated and described in detail one preferredembodiment of my invention,

it will be understood that this is only by way of illustration and thatthe parts may be variously constructed and that various changes andmodifications are contemplated in the construction of the machine andwithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. Sheet glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising aframe, a cage movable up and down in the frame, cutter means movableacross the cage and carried by the cage, means secured to and normallyprojecting from the cage to be engaged by the edge of an upwardlymovingl sheet of glass whereby the cage is caused to move upwardly withthe` glass, and means for automatically releasing said last-named meansfrom such engagement with the sheet of glass.

2. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage guided n said frame for up and down movement, a cutter means on thecage movable horizontally across the cage, means carried on the cagenormally projecting laterally from the plane of the cage in a positionto be engaged by the edge of an upwardly moving sheet of glass, andmeans controlled by the cage for releasing said last-named means fromsuch engagement with the glass.

3. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage guided in said frame for up and down movement, a cutter means onthe cage movable horizontally across the cage, means carried on the cagenormally projecting laterally from the top plane of the cage in aposition to be engaged by the edge of an upwardly moving sheet of glass,means controlled by the cage for releasing said last-named means fromsuch engagement with the glass, and means for moving the cage in adirection opposite thedirection in which it is moved by the engagementof said projecting means with the edgeof the glass sheet.

4. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage guided'in said frame for up and down movement, a cutter means onthe cage movable horizontally across the cage,

means carried on the cage projecting laterally from the top plane of thecage in a position to be engaged by the edge of an upwardly moving sheetof glass, and means controlled by the travel of the cage for moving saidlast-named means out of such glass engaging position.

5. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage guided in said frame for up and down movement, a cutter means onthe cage movable horizontally across the cage, means carried on the cageprojecting laterally from the plane of the cage in a position to beengaged by the top edge of an upwardly moving sheet of glass, meanscontrolled by the travel of the cage for moving said last-named meansout of such glass engaging position, and means for automaticallylowering the cage to its initial position when said projecting means isdisengaged from the edge of the sheet of glass.

6. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage movable up and down in the frame, cutter means on the cage movableback and forth there-across, means supported by the cage projectinglaterally therefrom into the path of travel of the sheet of glass to becut for engagement with the edge of said sheet whereby the cage may beraised by the upward movement of the sheet of glass, said meanscomprising a pad member hinged to swing in a vertical arc and biased tonormally assume a horizontal position, latch means for holding the padmember in a horizontal position, and means controlled by the movement ofthe cage for releasing said latch.

'7. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, acage movable up and down in the frame, cutter means on the cage movableback and forth there-across, means supported by the cage projectinglaterally therefrom into the path of travel of the sheet of glass to becut for engagement with the edge of said sheet whereby the cage may beraised by the upward movement of the. sheet of glass, said meanscomprising a pad member hinged'to swing in a vertical arc and rbiased tonormally assume a horizontalposition, latch means. for holding the padmember in a horizontal position, means controlled by the movement of thecage for releasing said latch, and means for moving the cage downwardlyafter said latch has been released.

8. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described 'comprising aframe, acage guided in said frame for up and down movement, a cutter means onthe cage movable horizontally across the cage; means carried on the cageprojecting laterally from the plane of the cage in a position to beengaged by the edge ofan upwardly moving sheet of glass, meanscontrolled by the travelof the cage for moving said last-named means outof glass engaging position, and means for automatically-lowering thecage to its initial position comprising a duid pressure piston andcylinder motor and a lazy tong for transmitting downward motion fromsaid motor to the cage.

9. Glass cutting apparatus of the class described comprising a frame,acage movable up and down in the frame, cutter means movable back andforth acrossv the cage and carried by the cage, a post vmounted on andattached to the cage, a hinged pad projecting from the post intothe'path oi travel of the glass sheet to be cut, a latch for normallyrestraining the pad against movement on its hinge, and means forreleasing said latch.

10. Sheet glass'cutting apparatus of the class described comprising aframe, a cage movable up and down in the frame, cutter means movableacross the cage and carried by the cage, means projecting from thecage'toV be engaged by an upwardly moving sheet of glass, means forautomatically retracting said last-named means to disengage it from thesheet of glass', the cage having mechanically interconnectedcounterweights operatively connected to each side thereof formaintaining the cage horizontal, and means for automatically loweringthe cage to its initial position after it has been elevated by theengagement of the glass with the said projecting means,

11. Sheet glass cutting apparatus of the class described having a cagewhich is moved in one direction by the movement of the sheet of glass tobe cut and which is automatically moved in the opposite direction afterit has traveled with the glass a predetermined distance, having aguideway there-across, a carriage on the guideway, a cutter on thecarriage movable into and out of glass cutting position, mechanicalmeans for moving the cutter, and common motor driven means on the cagefor moving the carriage and actuating said mechanical means foroperating the cutter.

l2. Sheet glass cutting apparatus of the class described having a cagewhich is moved in one direction by the movement of the sheet of glass tobe cut and which is automatically moved in the opposite direction afterit has traveled with the glass a predetermined distance, having aguideway there-across, a carriage on the guideway, a cutter on thecarriage movable into and out of glass cutting"position, common meansfor moving the carriage in one direction across the cage with the cutterprojected into glass-engaging position and for returning the carriage tothe starting point with the cutter retracted out of glass-engagingposition, said means including a cable and a reversible motor foroperating the cable, and a lost motion mechanism on the carriage throughwhich the cable operates to move the carriage and through which lostmotion mechanism the cutter is advanced when the carriage moves in onedirection and retracted when the carriage moves in the other direction.

13. For use in glass cutting mechanism of the class described, acarriage, a reciprocable sleeve on the carriage having a threadedexterior, a drum threaded on said sleeve arranged to effect arectilinear movement of the sleeve upon rotation of the drum, meansgoverned by the rectilinear movement of the sleeve for limiting themovement of the drum in either direction, a cutter on the carriage,resilient means for urging the cutter into operative position, meansoperated by the rectilinear movement of the sleeve for retracting thecutter, and a cable engaging said drum for rotating the drum and movingthe carriage.

14. In a glass cutter of the class described, a cutter carriage, atrackway in which the carriage is mounted and along which it is movable,a cutter supported on the carriage for movement transversely to thedirection of travel of the carriage, means for yieldably urging thecutter into cutting position, mechanical means for retracting the cutterfrom cutting position, and a motor driven means for driving the carriageand operating said last-named means.

15. In a glass cutter of the class described, a cutter carriage, atrackvvay in which the carriage is mounted and along which it ismovable, a cutter supported on the carriage for movement transversely tothe direction of travel of the carriage, means for yieldably urging thecutter into cutting position, means for retracting the cutter fromcutting position, said last-named means comprising a threaded memberhaving a drum thereon cooperating with the threads thereof, a

cable passing around the drum for rotating it, and means for limitingthe rotative movement of the drum after it has rotated in eitherdirection a predetermined number of times.

16. A glass cutting mechanism of the class described comprising a cage,means on the cage for engaging the glass whereby the cage is moved inone direction with the glass, means for moving the cage in an oppositedirection after it has moved a predetermined distance With the glass, acutter carriage movable crosswise of the cage, reversible motor means onthe cage for propelling the carriage back and forth across it, meanscontrolled by the travel of the cage for initiating the operation of thecarriage to drive it in one direction, and means operated by thecarriage for reversing the motor after the carriage has traveled acrossthe cage in one direction, and cutter means on the carriage.

17. A glass cutting mechanism of the class described comprising a cage,means on the cage for engaging the glass whereby the cage is moved inone direction with the glass, means for moving the cage in an oppositedirection after it has moved a predetermined distance with the glass, acutter carriage movable crossvvise of the cage, reversible motor meanson the cage for propelling the carriage back and forth across it, meanscontrolled by the travel of the cage for initiating the operation of thecarriage to drive it in one direction, means operated by the carriagefor reversing the motor after the carriage has traveled across the cagein one direction, a cutter on the carriage movable into and out ofcutting position, and means for advancing the cutter to cutting positionbefore the carriage starts its cycle of movement and for retracting thecritter after the carriage has moved in one direction across the cage.

KARL E. SOMNIERFELD.

